Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah flags off ‘Run for Unity’ in New Delhi on the occasion of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas – 2025
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah flags off ‘Run for Unity’ in New Delhi on the occasion of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas – 2025
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah today flagged off the ‘Run for Unity’ in New Delhi on the occasion of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas – 2025. Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah also administered the Unity Pledge to the people. On this occasion, Union Ministers Shri Manohar Lal and Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Shri V. K. Saxena, Chief Minister of Delhi Smt. Rekha Gupta, and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Bandi Sanjay Kumar, along with many other dignitaries, were present.
In his address, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that today is a special day for all of us. He said that since 2014, every year on 31st October, we organize the ‘Run for Unity’ in honor of Sardar Patel. He said that today marks the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, and keeping this in mind, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has decided that it should be celebrated as a special event across the country.
Shri Amit Shah said that Sardar Patel played a crucial role in India’s freedom movement as well as shaping the present map of independent India. He noted that Sardar Patel gave up his career as a barrister to join the freedom struggle on Mahatma Gandhi’s call. Shri Shah said that Sardar Patel’s leadership qualities became evident during the Bardoli Satyagraha of 1928, which was launched against the injustice done to farmers. Shri Shah said that under Sardar Patel’s leadership, the farmers began their movement, and what started in a small town soon grew into a nationwide farmers’ movement, compelling the British to accept their demands. He said that it was after this movement that Mahatma Gandhi gave Vallabhbhai Patel the title “Sardar,” and from then on, he became to be known as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Union Home Minister said that after Independence, the British had divided the country into 562 princely states, and everyone was anxious about how a nation fragmented into so many states could become an integrated India. He said it was due to Sardar Patel’s tireless efforts, determination and statesmanship that all 562 princely states were unified in a short span of time, shaping the present map of India and laying the foundation of our nation. He added that regions such as Kathiawar, Bhopal, Junagadh, Jodhpur, Travancore and Hyderabad made different kinds of attempts to remain separate, but Sardar Patel’s iron will and unyielding determination brought all of them together to form one united India. Shri Shah said that the only task that remained incomplete was Kashmir’s full integration with India due to Article 370, but Prime Minister Modi fulfilled that unfinished task of Sardar Patel — and today, we have before us a truly unified India.
Shri Amit Shah said that on the day of Independence, while everyone was busy hoisting the national flag, Sardar Patel was monitoring the naval warship. He mentioned that at that time, the question of who would control Lakshadweep was a major issue and by promptly sending the Navy there and ensuring that the Tricolour was hoisted, Sardar Patel made a significant contribution by making Lakshadweep an integral part of India.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the then opposition-led governments did not give Sardar Patel the respect he truly deserved, and it took 41 years for him to be awarded the Bharat Ratna. He added that no memorial worthy of Sardar Patel’s immense contribution was ever built. He said that when Shri Narendra Modi became the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he resolved to build a grand memorial for Sardar Patel at Kevadia Colony that the whole world would take notice. It was there that the concept of the Statue of Unity was conceived. Shri Shah mentioned that the foundation stone of the Statue of Unity was laid on 31 October 2013, and within 57 months, the 182-meter-tall statue of Sardar Patel was completed — now standing as a symbol of unity for the entire nation. He said that Sardar Patel was a farmers’ leader and around 25,000 tonnes of iron used in constructing the statue came from melting farmers’ tools. The colossal statue, made using approximately 25,000 tonnes of iron, 90,000 cubic meters of concrete and 1,700 tonnes of bronze, has so far been visited by about 2.5 crore people.
Shri Amit Shah said that the path shown by Sardar Patel for the unity, integrity and internal security of the nation is the same path on which India is progressing today. He stated that today, in the presence of Prime Minister Modi, the police forces of all states and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) paid tribute to Sardar Patel through a grand parade at Kevadia. He added that the Ministry of Home Affairs has decided that after the 150th birth anniversary, the Unity Parade will be organized every year in this grand manner as a tribute to Sardar Patel. He further mentioned that this year, the Run for Unity and the pledge-taking ceremony are also being celebrated in a special way. Shri Shah said that special programs have been organized across the nation—from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Dwarka to Kamakhya—to spread Sardar Patel’s ideas, especially among the youth. He emphasized that the young people who take the pledge to preserve the unity and integrity of the nation will be the builders of India’s future.